PollMaker 9.0 Technical FAQ

PollMaker 9.0 Technical FAQ

These Frequently Asked Questions address detailed issues related to PollMaker technology and should be helpful if you are currently experiencing a problem with the software. If you are looking for answers to more general questions about the features or functionality of the PollMaker software product, check out the PollMaker 9.0 Product FAQ.

Section 1: General Questions Regarding PollMaker 9.0

1.1 What is the difference between PollMaker 9.0 and Poll-In-One?
The main difference between PollMaker and Poll-In-One is that PollMaker runs under Windows XP or 7 and previous versions (e.g. Poll-In-One) run in DOS. Because PollMaker runs in Windows it has greater capabilities when it comes to graphics, sounds, colors, and text formats. PollMaker also has a built in report generator that can quickly generate reports that incorporate color and 3D graphs.

1.2 Can I use polls that I created with previous versions in PollMaker 9.0?
No. PollMaker can only edit, run and generate reports on polls that were created with PollMaker 9.0.

1.3 Is PollMaker 9.0 a "visual" development tool?
Yes. In this version, you can actually "draw" buttons and hotspots on screens, as well as modify screen properties in a much more intuitive way.

1.4 What is the difference between the PollMaker screen saver and my Windows XP/7 screen saver?
Each poll can be configured to have its own PollMaker screen saver. When you copy a poll onto a kiosk, that poll’s screen saver is automatically copied too. If a poll has its own screen saver, you should disable the Windows screen saver because the Windows screen saver will run over the PollMaker one.

1.5 What kind of security does PollMaker 9.0 have?
Within PollMaker 5 different passwords can be set, to allow for 5 different levels of access. You can set all the passwords, just one password or none of the passwords. All of PollMaker’s files are encrypted using 54-bit encryption.

1.6 How big can I make a poll?
A poll can have up to 999 screens in it. However it is suggested that polls with more than 50 screens be broken up into sub-polls.

Section 2: Installation and Licensing

2.1 What are the system requirements for PollMaker?
PollMaker can be used in two ways. You can create and run polls on the same system, or you can create polls on one powerful PC, and then distributed and run these polls on less powerful (and perhaps less expensive) PC's, which are referred to as kiosks. The hardware and software requirements for creating and running polls are as follows:

To RUN Polls (kiosk requirements):

1 GHz or faster. (2 GHz or faster is recommended).
256 megabytes (MB) of RAM. (512 MB or greater is recommended).
VGA or higher resolution monitor; any VGA-compliant video-card.
55 MB free hard disk space. (Non-removable drives only.)
Laser, ink-jet, or bubble-jet printer (for report generation only).
Windows XP® or later.
MicroTouch® drivers.

To DESIGN and MANAGE Polls:

1 GHz or faster. (2 GHz or faster is recommended).
256 megabytes (MB) of RAM. (512 MB or greater is recommended).
VGA or higher resolution monitor; any VGA-compliant video-card.
75 MB free hard disk space. (Non-removable drives only.)
Laser, ink-jet, or bubble-jet printer (for report generation only).

2.2 How is PollMaker licensed?
You can use a demonstration copy of PollMaker for 10 days. During this ten-day period, you will prompted to register the product each time you start any PollMaker component. Also, you will not be able to gather polling information on more than 20 actual respondents, although you can preview your polls by running them in demo mode as many times as you like.

At the end of the 10-day trial period, you must contact your vendor (probably SAI) for an authorization code.

2.3 How can I backup my copy of PollMaker?
While you cannot backup the PollMaker application itself on any machine, you can and should backup all copies of your polls and poll data. You can do this either by backing up your entire PollMaker directory (typically, C:\Program Files\PollMaker) with some third-party backup system, or by using the PollMaker Backup/Restore Utility.

Section 3: Poll Designer Questions

3.1 Can I use sound in my poll?
Yes. You can use Windows audio (.wav) files to play sounds. A sound can be configured to play when a screen appears by setting the IntroSound property. Sounds can also be configured to play when a button or hotspot is selected by setting the SelectSound property of the button.

3.2 What kind of graphics files can I use in my polls?
You can use graphic files with the following extensions: .bmp .jpg .gif. and .ico. Bitmaps (.bmp) are the simplest Windows graphic type and most desktop backgrounds that come with Windows are .bmp files. GIF (.gif) files are the most commonly used graphic file format on the World Wide Web and the Internet. JPEG (.jpg) files usually take up the least amount of hard disk space. Windows Icon (.ico) files are used for all Windows icons.

3.3 Where can I find graphics files to use in my polls?
You can create them yourself using any paint or drawing application such as Microsoft Paint™, CorelDraw!™, or Adobe Illustrator™ etc. Look on your own computer for any graphics that may come with Windows. You can also look on the Internet for graphics; just be sure that any graphic you obtain is used with permission from its owner.

3.4 What is a template?
In Poll Designer you can create a new template by choosing Templates from the Poll Menu. You edit the template the same way you would a screen. When you create a screen you are asked which template to create the screen with. When you choose a template, all the default values, colors and properties for that screen are set to the values you specified when you created the template. If you go back and change a value in the template, the default value for all screens created with that template will also change.

3.5 What is a "screen cluster"?
A cluster is merely a group of contiguous screens that are you assign a common name. For example, if you had 5 screens at the end of your poll that you wanted every respondent to answer you could put them in a cluster called End-Of-Poll. Then if you use any branching logic you can have the poll jump to the End-Of-Poll cluster rather than having to remember which screen was at the beginning of those last 5 important questions. Clusters are also useful if you have a large poll with lots of screens. It allows you to organize your screens so your poll is less confusing when you are designing it. Clusters do not affect the order in which screens are shown to the respondent, only branching logic does that.

3.6 What do you mean by a "sub poll"?
A sub-poll is a poll that is launched by another poll. Any poll can be a sub-poll. Sub-polls allow for easier organization of large surveys with various branching paths. For example, you could have a poll that branches English-speaking respondents to one sub-poll, and Spanish-speaking respondents to a second sub-poll. The two polls could be -- but do not have to be -- structurally and cosmetically identical except for the language used on the screens.

3.7 What is a block-out time?
A block-out time is a time period during which the poll should not run. During a block-out time period, the Polling Engine will dispaly a message reading, "This Kiosk is Temporarily Unavailable". This feature could be useful if you had a kiosk in a resort lobby and the resort had a teen party in the lobby on Friday nights. You could set a block out time for Friday night during the party so that the teenagers attending the party would not be able to take your poll numerous times and give unusual answers. Note that the use of block-out times in your poll does not mean that a genuine respondent may be "cut off" in the middle of a polling session; no block-out times will take effect until the current responent is finished.

3.8 How can I make a block-out time that spans midnight?
Block-out times are defined in 24:00 hour time format. If you enter a block-out time with an end time that is less than the start time, you will receive an error message. Because of this, it is not obvious how to define a block-out time that spans midnight. However, all you need to do is define two block-out times, the first one ending at midnight and the second one beginning at midnight. For instance, to make sure that poll does not run from 9:00 PM at night to 7:00 AM the next morning, you would create one block-out time with a start time of "21:00" (nine o'clock at night) and an end time of "23:59" (one minute before midnight). Then create a second block-out time with a start time of "00:00" (midnight) and an end time of "07:00" (seven in the morning).

3.9 How can I make several screens look exactly alike?
Create one screen and add any info boxes or buttons that you want all screens to have. Set any text or properties that should be the same on all screens. Then close this screen and copy and paste it. You will now have two screens that are exactly alike, except for their names.

3.10 I have finished my poll and realized that I need to add a screen in the middle. What can I do?
Highlight the screen you want to be below your new screen and choose Insert Screen from the Screens Menu. Your new screen will be created above the screen you had highlighted. You can also create a screen by choosing New Screen from the Screens Menu and then moving the screen to where you want it using the Move Up, Move Down or Set Position commands on the Screen Menu.

3.11 If I already have response data for a poll and I need to add/remove a screen what should I do?
Once you have response data for a poll you should not make major changes to the poll structure unless you don’t mind losing some results. You can use Save As… from the File Menu and save your poll with a different name. Then, in the new poll, add/remove your screen and begin polling again. This way you lose the result data from the original poll. If you add/remove a screen in the original poll, you will probably not be able to report on any data collected after you add/remove the screen.

3.12 What is a "hotspot screen"?
A hotspot screen uses a graphic file that may already have areas of it that look like buttons. It allows you to outline areas of the graphic that the respondent will be able to select. These areas are called hotspots. The hotspots act just like buttons. The difference is that buttons can be seen individually and hotspots can only be seen if they are outlining an area of the graphic that is visible.

3.13 What is a "lead input screen"?
A Lead Input Screen allows the respondent to enter information without having to choose from a list of choices. For example, the respondent could type in their zip code or their name. This screen provides an onscreen keyboard and lead input fields that the respondent can type in.

3.14 What is the difference between an "info screen" and a "question screen"?
An info screen is primarily used to communicate something to the respondent. The first screen in the poll is usually an info screen because all it does is welcome the respondent and tell them what the poll is about. No data is collected from info screens for reporting. Question screens usually contain a question and some answer choices. Data is collected from question screens to be used in reporting.

3.15 Can I change the type of a screen? For example can I change an info screen to a question screen or a hotspot screen to a standard screen?
No. Once you have created a screen you can not change the type of screen that it is. If you create an info screen, it will always be an info screen, and it can not be changed into a question screen. You also can’t change a hotspot or lead input screen to a standard screen or vice versa.

3.16 How can I make sure that all the screens in my poll have the same color scheme?
Create a template and set all the color values to what you want all your screens to look like. Then when you create your screens use your new template. You can also change the template of existing screens by changing the BaseTemplate property.

3.17 What is branching logic?
Branching logic enables you to show different respondents different screens or poll based on their answers to other screens. For example, if you have a few questions about the kind of car the respondent drives, you don’t need to ask these questions to an 8 year old. So you set the branching logic to skip the car questions if the respondent indicates that he/she is younger than 16 on a screen that asks for age. Branching logic can also launch sub polls. Maybe you want a respondent younger than 16 to answer an entirely different set of questions. You could put these questions in a poll and launch that poll when a respondent indicates he/she is younger than 16.

3.18 How can I copy a screen?
On the Poll Objects Screen where all the screen are shown, highlight the screen you want to copy. Then either right-click or choose the Screens Menu and select copy. Now if you right click again or choose the Screens Menu and select paste a copy of your screen will be added to the end of your poll. You can use the Move Up and Move Down command from the Screens menu to put the screen in its proper position in the poll.

3.19 Can I have a screen with a lead input field and standard buttons?
No. Each screen is either a standard screen, a lead input screen, or a hotspot screen. You can not put standard buttons on a lead input screen or lead input fields on a standard screen.

3.20 Can I have a screen with standard buttons and hotspot buttons?
No. Each screen is either a standard screen, a lead input screen, or a hotspot screen. You can not put standard buttons on a hotspot screen or hotspots on a standard screen.

3.21 What is an "info box" used for?
An info box is used for displaying messages to the respondent. They can not be chosen by the respondent, like an answer button can. For example, you could have an info box that says "Choose only one answer."

3.22 Can I make it so that the respondent can choose more than one answer button or hotspot?
Yes. If you set the AllowMuliGridSelect property to true, the respondent will be able to select more than one answer choice.

3.23 How can I change the keyboard that appears on lead input screens?
You can change the background color of the keyboard using the BackColorKeyboard property. You can also change the type of keyboard that is visible by changing the KeyboardType property. This property allows you to decide if the keyboard is QWERTY or Alpha or if it should have numbers, letters or both. You can also modify the look of the keys themselves by modifying the bitmaps that each key displays, but this is a topic too involved for this FAQ.

3.24 On a lead input screen, is there a way I can make sure that the respondent types in a phone number when I ask for a phone number or a zip code when I ask for a zip code?
You can set the Mask property for each lead input field. If you set the Mask to zip code, the respondent will only be allowed to type in 5 numbers. If you set the mask to phone number, the respondent will only be allowed to type in 10 numbers. If the respondent types in less than the required amount, they will not be allowed to continue to next page. You can also create custom masks. See your User’s Guide or the Help file for details.

3.25 On a lead input screen, is there a way I can make sure that the respondent doesn’t type too little or too much in any input field?
If you don’t want to use a mask, you can just set the MinLength and MaxLength properties of the lead input fields. The respondent will not be allowed to continue until the MinLength is reached and he will not be able to type more than the MaxLength.

Section 4: Running Polls

4.1 How do I stop a poll that is running?
There is a special touch code that will bring up the Operators Console. On the Operators Console is an option for shutting down the poll. The screen is broken up into 4 quadrants or parts, each with a number associated with them. The top/left is 1, top/right is 2, bottom/left is 3, and bottom/right is 4. The default touch code (you can change it) is 1-2-3-4 to bring up the Operators Console.

4.2 Why doesn't the touchcode always work?
The touch codes will not always work on Hotspot screens. Also, the user may be clicking or touching the screen too quickly. Stop clicking and touching the screen for a few moments and try again.

4.3 How do I stop a running poll in Poller if the touchcode isn't working (or I forgot it)?
If the touchcode is not working the only other way to stop Poller is to shut it down from the Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del. Select Poller from the list of running programs and press "End Task".

4.4 How can I test my poll?
In Poll Designer you can select the Preview option from the Poll Menu. This will launch the poll in demo mode in Poller. In demo mode the poll will not collect response data. The MinResponseTime and MaxResponseTime will not be enforced and the Screen Saver will be disabled.

4.5 Is there a way to print a poll?
Not at this time. The only way to print poll screens is to capture the screen as a bitmap and print it using a graphics program such as Windows Paint. The easiest way to do this is to press Print Screen while a poll is running. This will capture the current screen. Then launch Windows Paint and paste the image of the screen into it.

Section 5: Managing Polls

5.1 Once I have created a poll, how can I put it on other computers (kiosks) so it can be run?
You need to use the Backup/Restore Utility provided in Poll Manager. On the computer where you created the poll, click on the Backup/Restore button in Poll Manager and then choose Backup a Poll. When it asks you what part of the poll to back up, choose the poll definition file. You probably want to back it up to a floppy disk(s) so you can bring it to the kiosk(s). Once this is finished you can bring the disk(s) to the kiosk(s) and restore the poll. Choose Restore a Poll and then choose the directory where you backed up the poll (probably A:/). The restore process will begin and if you have multiple disks it will tell you when to insert each one. Once you are done, the poll is ready to run.

5.2 If I run a poll on multiple kiosks, how do I get the response data all together on one computer so I can run reports?
On all the kiosks where the poll ran you need to use the Backup/Restore Utility in Poll Manager to backup just the result files. Then you can restore all the result data onto one central computer using the Backup/Restore Utility in Poll Manager. Make sure that you choose "Merge result data" when you are restoring the results.

5.3 How do I run a report?
In order to run a report you must have run the poll and gathered some results. Then you can go into Poll Manager, highlight the poll you want to run a report on and choose Generate Report. You can choose the dates that you want the report to show results from. You can also choose which question screens to appear on the report. You can have the report appear on the screen, saved as a rich text file or printed out.

Section 6: Troubleshooting

6.1 Each time I try to run PollMaker, I get a licensing error (Return Code #15). What does this mean and how do I fix it?
This error is caused by a corruption of your Crypkey licensing files. Your licensing files can be corrupted by common disk de-fragmentation tools such as Norton Utilities Speed Disk, which relocate files on your hard disk. You can avoid this error by not using such de-fragmentation tools on your PollMaker-installed PC. Or, if you must use such tools, set them not to move files with the following extentions: KEY, RST, 41s, and ENT.

To fix this error once it has occured, you will need to erase the corrupted files and obtain a new authorization code from SAI. To do this, complete the following steps:

Run Poll Manager. You will still get the error, so just click OK to ignore it and continue loading the Manager.
On the main menu, select Tools, then select Console. This will load the PollMaker Configuration Console.
In the Console, type the command "clear_crypkeys" and press the Enter key. This will erase the corrupted files from your hard disk.
When the command is finished, click Close to close the console. You will return to the main view of Poll Manager.
On Poll Manager's main menu, select Help, then select Licensing.
Click Print Form for Fax/email to send your new Site Code to SAI or your vendor. Also send a message explaining what happened and the error message you received. SAI will use previous license information to determine how much time remained on your previous (corrupted) license, and will provide you with a new license for that amount of time. Note that the decision of whether or not to replace your license is held at the discretion of SAI.

6.2 I keep getting the message: "Warning: This file is a different verion from your current PollMaker installation." What does this mean?
This usually means that you have installed two different versions of PollMaker on the PC, and that are you trying to run the older version. Search your hard disk(s) for multiple copies of PollMaker. Find the most recent version by checking the dates on the PollMaker directories. Run only the last version you installed.

6.3 When I try to run a report, I get the message: "Warning! The poll 'PollName' has been modified since the poll database repository was created." What does this mean?
Whenever you run a report or index poll results, poll data is converted into a database called a repository. This makes reporting faster and easier. However, the structure of this repository is based on the current structure of the poll. If you change the poll's structure later on (by adding or deleting a screen, for instance) and then re-run the poll, you will get this error when you try to process the results from the new run. This message is to warn you that your repository and your poll have different structures.

If the poll has not yet gone into production, you can simply dump all poll results for the poll using Poll Manager. This will ensure that your respository is re-built the next time you run a report. If the poll has gone into production, you should manually rebuild your poll repository by doing the following:

Archive all results gathered before the poll structure was changed. Consult the User's Guide for instructions on archiving data.
Open Poll Manager. On the main menu, select Tools, then select Console. This will load the PollMaker Configuration Console.
In the Console, type the command "Rebuild Repository For MyPollName" (substituting the actual name of the poll for MyPollName). Press the Enter key.

6.4 How do I erase specific records from poll results?
It is very dangerous to try to erase false records from polling data, since the possibility exists that you will unwittingly erase good records also. Also, you run the risk of invalidating the statistical integrity of your poll. However, if conditions require you to erase a specific respondent record (or a group of records) from a poll's result data, follow these steps exactly:

Using Poll Manager, index any pending results for the poll. Consult the User's Guide for instructing on indexing poll result data.
Do a full backup of the poll. This is necessary since you might accidentally erase good data. Consult the User's Guide for instructions on backing-up polls.
Open Poll Manager. On the main menu, select Tools, then select Console. This will load the PollMaker Configuration Console.
In the Console, type the command "PURGE FROM MyPollName WHERE RespondentID = 33" and the press the Enter key. (This syntax is given as an example only; it will delete the record for respondent #33 from the poll "MyPollName". Naturally, you should substitute your poll name and respondent ID number for the record you wish to delete. You can obtain the respondent ID number from the Gross Results report.)
After the purge is complete, a message box will appear telling you how many records were deleted. If you have accidentally deleted too many records, restore the poll using the back-up you created in step #2.

You can also purge a range or group records using the following criteria after the WHERE keyword:

Purge by polling date -- Use the syntax ...WHERE PollingDate = #10/31/1999# to erase all respondent data gathered on Halloween of 1999. Or, use syntax WHERE PollingDate > #10/31/1999# And PollingDate < #11/10/1999# to erase all respondent data gather between Halloween and November 10.

Purge by polling location -- Use the syntax ...WHERE PollingLocation = "Store 17" to erase all respondent data gathered at that poll location